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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27554971">What Goes Around</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/midget_boss/pseuds/midget_boss'>midget_boss</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>One Universe Over [12]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aftermath of a Mission, Friendship, Gen, Humor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:40:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,625</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27554971</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/midget_boss/pseuds/midget_boss</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Obi-Wan is tired and filthy after a mission. Luckily for him, Rex has just what he needs.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>CC-2224 | Cody &amp; Obi-Wan Kenobi &amp; CT-7567 | Rex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>One Universe Over [12]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924129</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>105</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>What Goes Around</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26586604">Hair Mask 39</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/midget_boss/pseuds/midget_boss">midget_boss</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I wrote this for the Good Things Happen Bingo, but it didn't feel like it fit right, so I wrote Hair Mask 39 instead. Contains hints of Codywan.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If I never hear the name Antar again, it will be too soon, Obi-Wan thought as he followed Cody out of their transport. He tried not to let his shoulders slump under the weight of the sludge that had dried on his robes and his relief. It had been fifteen days since he had been fully clean and dry, but today had been worse than any of the previous days by a lot.</p><p>“Whoa, what happened to you?” Anakin demanded, lips twitching. “You look like you rolled in a mud puddle, got up to dry off, and then did it again.”</p><p>“Almost, sir,” Cody said, the traitor. He ignored Obi-Wan’s look. “He played tag with an Andark and ended up thrown into a puddle, then escaped just in time to get into a fight with Tarnak.”</p><p>“And get thrown in a different puddle,” Waxer added cheerfully.</p><p>“I will remember this,” Obi-Wan muttered darkly.</p><p>“I bet,” Anakin said through his laughter. “But will you act any differently?”</p><p>Obi-Wan sniffed as he stalked through the hangar, annoyed and slightly hurt at the amusement he could feel behind him. His whole body ached and he was pretty sure there was something crawling through his hair. Or more than one something. He shook his head, determined to put it out of his mind until he had showered. Really, he should be grateful this had only happened right before the Resolute arrived. Later, when he meditated, he would concentrate on that.</p><p>A hand grasped his elbow just outside of the hangar, surprising him. He met Cody’s gaze. “Sir, the guest quarters you’re using on the Resolute don’t have a working fresher.”</p><p>“Of course,” Obi-Wan said as he closed his eyes. They had been told that when the ship arrived, Anakin drawing some kind of strange glee at the idea as he announced it over the com line. At the time, Obi-Wan had shrugged it off. He used the officer’s communal freshers on the Negotiator often, more often than his private fresher. Most of the time he preferred to be near the men, offering as much comfort as he could. Right now, though, he’d rather just be alone.</p><p>“This way,” Cody said softly, tugging his elbow before letting go. He tilted his bucket at him. “Of all the times to not lose your robe.”</p><p>The troopers could take off their armor, at least, and the less fastidious would let the droids clean it for them. How nice for them, Obi-Wan thought as he snorted. “I’m pretty sure it’s a lost cause, at least.”</p><p>“Why didn’t you just leave it?” Cody asked as he led the way.</p><p>Obi-Wan sighed and picked at his robe. He could have, and probably should have given the amount of mud it was carrying. It’s not like it was protecting the clothes under it, since they were nearly as caked in mud as the robe. The last few days had also proven that the mud stained clothing, somehow even causing the troopers blacks to become discolored, but there was something reassuring about the robe’s weight that he had needed today.</p><p>“Sir?” Cody pressed his arm against Obi-Wan’s, but the dried mud canceled out the comfort Obi-Wan usually found in the gesture.</p><p>“I’m not sure I have words for that,” Obi-Wan admitted hesitantly. He didn’t think comparing it to Cody’s armor would work. It did not provide nearly the same protection and he had stripped out of a robe a time or two during a fight, both things Cody would point out. Plus, he wasn’t sure Cody actually felt the sort of comfort from wearing his armor that Obi-Wan did his robe. So far, he’d only seen him in something other than his armor less than a dozen times, but he’d never exhibited any discomfort or even a lack of ease in those clothes.</p><p>Cody hummed and tapped in a code. Obi-Wan followed him into the Resolute’s officer’s fresher. Captain Rex was standing at the mirror, eyeing them through the reflection. His short hair was a wet mess. Obi-Wan sniffed and his eyes widened.</p><p>“Is that Hair Mask thirty-nine, Rex?” he asked hopefully.</p><p>Cody had just taken off his helmet and stared at him in disbelief. Rex grinned at them. “Yep. I’ve got one more treatment left, sir.”</p><p>“I couldn’t impose,” Obi-Wan demurred regretfully. Something moved in his hair again and he fought to not twitch.</p><p>“Don’t worry about it,” Rex said as he fished something out of a small bag. “I’ve got an order waiting for me on Coruscant.”</p><p>“You have an order of Hair Mask thirty-nine waiting for you on Coruscant?” Cody asked in disbelief.</p><p>“Yep,” Rex replied, eyes crinkled in mirth as he set the bottle on the counter. He eyed Obi-Wan thoughtfully. “No offense, sir, but you look like you need it.”</p><p>“I think there’s something alive in my hair,” Obi-Wan confessed, finally sharing his horror. The box seemed to draw him over.</p><p>“You definitely need it,” Rex said sympathetically. “Come on, get out of those clothes. We’ll help you get your hair cleaned up. I don’t suppose you’re interested in a trim?”</p><p>“He needs one.” Cody eyed him critically with the slight frown that meant he was working out a problem.</p><p>“I have an appointment set up at the Temple for when we get back,” Obi-Wan reminded him. “You were there when I made it. You were the <em>reason</em> I made it.”</p><p>He ignored the exchange of looks between the two officers as he shed his robe and outer garment. If Cody could gang up on him with Anakin, he could make perfectly innocent comments in front of Rex.</p><p>“Might be better just to get it done now,” Rex said at last. “You should take off the tunic and undershirt, at least.”</p><p>Obi-Wan hesitated a moment too long. Their eyes narrowed, then they looked at each other again. Cody advanced on him while Rex went to a kit in the corner.</p><p>“Off,” Cody demanded, gesturing at the tunic.</p><p>“Why, commander, no need to be so forceful,” Obi-Wan said lightly. “It’s nothing more than bruises.”</p><p>“Which you didn’t mention,” Cody pointed out.</p><p>“Buzz would have wanted to examine me and I needed to get clean before that happened, anyway.” Obi-Wan smiled gently and pushed soothing feelings at them, but stopped when they both gave him an unimpressed look.</p><p>“Off,” Rex demanded as he joined Cody.</p><p>“You know, that’s the first time I’ve ever thought you sounded the same,” Obi-Wan mused as he lifted the undershirt over his head.</p><p>“You do bring out the best in people,” Cody said as he leaned in to inspect the damage.</p><p>“Yeah, right,” Rex muttered, rolling his eyes as he walked around to inspect Obi-Wan’s back. “That’s some nasty bruising, but it looks like it’s just on the surface.”</p><p>“I’d feel better if he was scanned,” Cody said, poking at a particularly dark bruise. He frowned at Obi-Wan’s hiss.  “I’m not sure about this one.”</p><p>“I’ll see Buzz or Kix after I’m clean,” Obi-Wan promised, rubbing the spot Cody had poked. He felt something move in his hair again and shuddered. “I really do think something is in my hair and I would very much appreciate it if we could get it out.”</p><p>“We’ll leave off treating the bruises, since Kix will strangle me if I mess with a patient,” Rex announced cheerfully. “Let’s start by getting that mess wet, see if we can’t loosen it up.”</p><p>……………………..</p><p>An hour later, clean and dry, Obi-Wan sighed as he pulled his fingers through his hair. It fell perfectly in place, the light from the mirror catching all of the highlights. He ignored Rex’s fond grin and Cody’s head shake.</p><p>“It’s not vanity,” he said primly, turning away from the mirror. “But if you just had all of that on your head, you’d appreciate it being gone, too.”</p><p>“Uh-huh,” Rex replied, nodding his head. He was propped against a wall, watching Cody clean his armor.</p><p>“I still can’t believe you use something called Hair Mask thirty-nine,” Cody said dryly, looking pointedly at Rex’s short hair. Then he glanced at Obi-Wan. “Or that you could identify it just by the smell.”</p><p>“It’s very distinctive,” Obi-Wan replied with a sniff.</p><p>Cody shook his head again and set his gauntlet aside. He sighed as he surveyed the pieces he still needed to clean. “That mud ate through some of my paint.”</p><p>Obi-Wan almost volunteered to help, but Cody stiffened and pointedly did not look at him. Rex was watching them, gaze flicking between, but his expression gave nothing away. It made him think it would have far more meaning than simple friendship. He wanted to offer, regardless. Something to meditate about.</p><p>The door opened and Anakin stepped through. His gaze first landed on Cody, sitting as he was in the middle of the room. He whistled sharply. “That’s going to take forever. Rex, buddy, you’re not helping him?”</p><p>“Nope,” Rex replied cheerfully. “Did you need something, sir?”</p><p>“I was just looking for my Master,” Anakin replied, tilting his head to take in Obi-Wan’s appearance. Dressed in a spare set of blacks, he’d rolled the sleeves up to hide how short they were on him, but he couldn’t hide his bare ankles. He sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know how you bounce back so quickly. I could have sworn it would take forever to get your hair back to some semblance of normal.”</p><p>“I do have a few tricks up my sleeves,” Obi-Wan told him, shooting Rex a look. The captain winked at him and Obi-Wan gave Anakin his widest smile, secure in the knowledge that Anakin wouldn’t hear about it from him. “Come, let’s see what the council will make of our reports.”</p>
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